Gilbert Keith Chesterton Quote

"The last few decades have been marked by a special cultivation of the romance of the future. We seem to have made up our minds to misunderstand what has happened; and we turn, with a sort of relief, to stating what will happen-which is apparently much easier...The modern mind is forced towards the future by a certain sense of fatigue, not unmixed with terror, with which it regards the past."

As to the past, we seem always to repeat it. The so-called war on drugs is a great example. It parallels the 1920 prohibition of alcoholic beverages, making thugs rich and doing nothing to stop drug use. Our politicians know this but haven't the guts to stop it . Drug cartels don't fear cops, the DEA, the Army, the National Guard, or anything except legalization. Many years ago , we had county "wet' and "dry" elections here in Texas. Dry meant that you couldn't sell liquor in a certain county. The old saying was that the Baptists and the bootleggers always voted dry. Drug cartels are fearful of legalization, nothing else.-- jim k, Austin,Tx

Same ole politically correct-morally incorrect.-- cal, lewisville, tx

The practitioners of "Hope and Change" politics find the future to be as fluid as their own moralities. -- Justin, Elkland

Jim K, you're right. Drug cartels do not want legalization to spoil their "business." If drugs were to be made legal and taxed, we could probably retire our national debt. There will always be people that will waste their lives on drugs or alcohol and they will always have to be taken care of. At least the taxes would help to defray the cost. Most of the time rehabilitation is a waste of time and money. Once a person's brain is hard wired for drugs, which is what happens with Oxycontin, they could spend the rest of their lives trying to free themselves of addiction without lasting success. -- Carol, Georgia

Problem is that there are too many wealthy people at the top and in legitimate positions that do not want drugs legalized. There is a lot of money being made on all levels, even with the forfeiture laws, police departments can keep much of their trove and use for their own designated purposes. Really a lot there, Then you have the prison system which is now on the public stock exchange. It is a whole industry of mafia styled crime. But the mafioso have been alleged to be the CIA, Bill Clinton whose airport drugs were exchanged for arms, etc. Maryjuana should be legalized and taxed. Hemp should be allowed to be grown legally. Doubt it will ever happen, unfortunately, as the Feds have taken over the issue and states seem to have little decision making here.
Heard that alcohol was outlawed because they discovered oil to fuel cars. Cars were initially fueled by alcohol which is cheap to produce still. Once people were used to putting fuel in their cars and forgot about alcohol, Prohibition was then lifted. You think a few ladies protesting when they didn't even have the vote could have take the bottle away from their men. It was about oil, not what women wanted.-- Judith, New Mexico

Don't look back and do it over again...mindless....-- Abby

The worship of power is the reason the people allow themselves to be duped into accepting promises instead of the real thing. Frankly, I believe the root cause of all political suffering is due to the collective lying to ourselves. We lie! And a people without honor will not demand honor -- they will demand that the 'rich' make 'too much' and band together to rob them. As long as this practice is acceptable among the people, they will have guaranteed their perpetual servitude. Karma is a bitch, baby.-- E Archer, NYC

"A special cultivation of the romance of the future" sounds like what organized religions have been encouraging for millennia. You just have to die first to get there.-- A.WOODS, Gloucester